Take a Self Guided Queenstown Gardens Tour
The Queenstown Gardens are on the lakefront, a short walk from central Queenstown. They’re a popular place for both locals and tourists from the hotels nearby to relax. The views of Lake Wakatipu are stunning. There’s a path that follows the lakefront around the gardens, which every visitor to Queenstown should do. It’s a great spot to get photos back towards town, across the lake to the mountains, or toward Kelvin Heights and the Queenstown Golf Club.
Queenstown Gardens meet town at Queenstown Bay Beach. Where they meet, there’s an excellent playground for families with young kids. The Gardens are also the home of Queenstown’s disc golf course, which is a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. It’s also not a bad couples activity if you’re on a romantic getaway to Queenstown.
The gardens themselves are beautiful, and a self-guided tour is the best option to take it all in at your own pace. There’s plenty of great spots to sit and contemplate life while you stare at the lake and smoke a fat joint. The rose gardens are a sight to behold, but the park’s centerpiece is a beautiful water feature. Massive redwoods and douglas fir trees tower over the park and its lovely manicured lawns. It’s the perfect escape from Queenstown’s rampant commercialism.
Sporting Facilities in The Queenstown Gardens
Queenstown Gardens also contains several of the most scenically located sporting facilities in New Zealand. There’s Queenstown Bowling Club with magnificent club rooms and several greens. Queenstown tennis club, Queenstown Skatepark, and the Queenstown ice rink. The disc golf course is really popular, perhaps because it is free, just BYO frisbee. I particularly enjoyed an early morning run through the park while staying in the nearby Novotel Lakeside. And judging by the number of other joggers and cyclists, I’m not the only one.
There is quite a lot of parking available in the gardens near the skate park, and it’s an enjoyable walk into town through the gardens. Queenstown Gardens are owned and managed by Queenstown Lakes District Council and are free to visit all year round.
